Gwador
by UnfathomableEnigma
Summary: Legolas and Aragorn friendship/brotherhood fic! Twist on the Quest of the Ring. What if Legolas was captured by orcs? What if they changed him? What if they poised him against the one person he cares about most in the world? What will happen? Most importantly, will the two be able to make the ultimate sacrifice and journey to the deepest place on Arda? AragornAngst! R&R!
1. Prologue

**Gwador**

**Prologue**

It is quiet in Imladris. The only nose is the rustle of leaves in the wind and the clamoring voices of the two beings sat beside a stream. One, dark in both hair and aspect, has his legs tucked into the water with his pants rolled up past his knees. The other, fair haired and regal, is perched atop a rock with one hand dipped carelessly into the stream. His blue eyes flash toward the trees for a moment before resting, once again, on the countenance of his companion.

"Oh, Las, what are we going to do? The hobbits do not know what they're in for and I fear we have gotten ourselves into something not even we can escape. What if I lose you, Las? I don't think I could go on if you weren't there to help me." At this, the elf seems taken aback.

"Estel, that will never happen. I think we've learned by now that I don't die easily. Too stubborn, Elladan once said. I think I'm starting to believe him."

"No, I think you're just an elf. All elves are stubborn… You learn that one the hard way. But I'm serious, Las, what if?" The human replies.

"I don't know. If I lose my life in the act of saving yours than I will die happy. You can always trust me, Estel, I'll be here forever." Legolas says, lightly picking his way over to sit beside the man. He elbows his companions lightly in the ribs, smiling.

"I know. And I'll always be here too. As long as I live, which is hopefully longer than I'm thinking it will be. Thank you, Legolas, you're the best friend I've ever had. Ever since I was 2 I've looked up to you and I still do. You're my best friend, my brother if not be blood then by heart. _Gwador._"

The man pulls a shining dagger from his belt, holding it up between them before taking the elf's hand in his and lightly dragging it across his palm before doing the same to his own. Legolas, blue eyes defiant, entwines his fingers with Aragorn's and smiles, leaning his forehead lightly against his companion's.

"_Gwador,_" The prince repeats, keeping his forehead against the man's, "I quite like the sound of that, Estel. _Gwador-nin._"

There the two sit, feet in the stream and foreheads pressed together, fingers entwined. Neither thought to bring bandages while both brought knives, even though the elf kept his hidden.

What they did not know is that this happiness would be short-lived.


	2. Chapter 1

**Gwador**

**Chapter 1**

Nine companions stood before the lord of Imladris. Two of which the elf considered his own sons, the same two he now had clasped tightly to his chest, hesitant to let go in fear of losing to them to their terrible luck.

"Ada, you need to let us go." Aragorn says, cheeks glowing a scarlet red with embarrassment. Beside him, Legolas chuckles. Despite never having admitted it, the elf quite enjoyed the embrace of his companions. He had been through enough torment in life to need it more than many knew.

"Alright, _ion-nin_, please be safe. Both of you. I want you both back here in one piece and I have enlisted the help of Gandalf to ensure that happens.

"I'll miss you both so much. Don't forget to write. Oh , Legolas, I have not yet sent word to your father. Would you like me to?"

The prince merely nods. He does not want his father to know but he feared what would happen if he returned many weeks later than what was expected. His father was always terrible to him, and took his anger out on Legolas' bad concept of time. For when he was late to dinners or meetings, he would often get a slap across the cheek and a cut from one of his father's many rings.

"Alright, we must head along, my friends. We cannot delay." Gandalf calls to the various members of the "Fellowship". That is what they had decided upon naming it, much to the dismay of Boromir, who had desired another, undetermined, name.

"Farewell, my lord!" Legolas calls back to Lord Elrond. "Take care of 'Dan and 'Ro for me!" He said that just to make the twins angry, considered that the surprisingly identical elves are standing right next to their father.

"Legolas, you will pay for that comment later!" One of them yells. The prince just smirks and continues walking next to Aragorn. This was going to be an interesting journey.

—

Tonight was, apparently, Aragorn's turn to tell a story.

"Strider!" Pippin calls. "Tell us about when you first met Legolas!" Over the course of the week he had known the two, the young hobbit had been fascinated by their relationship. And the healing cuts on their hands.

"Alright, alright," Aragorn says, turning to face the tree just above him. "Las, come down!" In response, a pinecone falls lightly onto his head. The man smirks.

"Oh please," he says. "You stubborn elfling, get down here or I'll come up there!" There is a slight rustling in the leaves. Then, silently, a golden figure drops to the ground beside him.

"What could you possibly want, Estel?" There elf sounds exasperated.

"I was going to tell them about when I first met you." Aragorn replies.

"Okay, go right ahead. Just, nothing too embarrassing, please." The man smirks, scooting a little closer to the elf.

"Alright, once upon a time, in the elf-city of Imladris, a little boy ran squealing through the normally quiet halls."

"_Elladan, Elrohir! Please help me find Estel, Legolas will be here soon and I do not want him to be greeted by a scene like this!" The elf-lord calls. Immediately, the twins hop up from their seats and begin to look for their younger brother. _

_Mere moments later, a quiet voice sounds through the trees. "Lord Elrond?" It says. "Are you looking for a young child. He ran right into me as I was putting my horse into the stables and asked if I had seen his father." Then, the owner of the voice steps out from the shadows and places the two-year-old child onto the ground. _

_Immediately, the young boy rushes over to Lord Elrond and wraps his little arms around the older elf's legs. _

"_Hello, Legolas, how have you been?" Elrond asks, scooping the child up and holding him lightly to his chest._

"_Fine, hir-nin, how about you?" The prince responds. He looks at his shoes, trying desperately to hide the healing cut on his right cheek._

_He fails._

"_Legolas, what happened to your cheek?" Elladan- or Elrohir, one can never tell- asks._

_Legolas stiffens, slowly raising one hand to his cheek. It had happened this morning, just before he left for Imladris. His father, the Elvenking, was truthfully very cruel to the poor prince. He had gotten very angry when he found out that the prince was leaving for Yuletide and 'abandoning his royal duties for personal pleasure'. The young prince knew better than to talk back when his father was yelling, so he just learned to take it. Take it and hold back the tears as it kept coming. _

_And that's what killing him._

"_Ada… He hit me… When I told him I was coming here for the Yule." It is only then that the tears begin to fall and the young human jumps down from Elrond's arms and slowly makes his way over to the elf. _

"_Are you alright, Las?" He asks._

"_Estel, maybe it is best to give Legolas his space right now." Elrohir (at least Legolas thinks it's Elrohir) says._

Estel? _Legolas thinks to himself. _Hope?

"_Estel," The prince begins, kneeling down to the child's level. "Would you like to see something amazing?" He asks. Excited, the child nods his head vigorously, taking the elf's hand in his own, smaller one and looking up expectantly._

"_Where are we going?" Estel asks quietly once they are out of earshot._

"_To the secret gardens. I planted them long ago, when I first came here. I must say, they are beautiful." _

_And the prince is right. The garden is secluded by hanging vines and a sole willow tree rests in the middle, surrounded by the most beautiful flowers of every color. Despite it being near-winter time, all the plants are covered with gorgeous blooms._

"_Wow." Estel whispers, dropping Legolas' hand and starting toward the willow tree. He runs his palm along it's trunk and begins whispering kind words to the leaves. _

It is as if he is an elf.

Is this the child Lord Elrond adopted two summers ago, after the death of his parents?

"_Las, when did you plant this?" The young human asks, scurrying back to his newest companion._

"_I planted it right after my mother's death. She always loved the willow tree and I decided to plant one in her honor, in her favorite place in the world." Tears, once again, begin to leak from the elf's captivatingly blue eyes. _

"_No, don't be sad, please Las." With a small hand, the child reaches up and brushes the elf's tears away with his thumbs. _

"_Thank you, tithen-pen, my favorite flower is this one." The elf says, lightly pulling a sunflower from the ground. "It always reminded me that tomorrow was a new day and that a new day held another opportunity to beat the darkness." Smiling, the elf beds down so as to look the child in the eye._

_The boy slowly raises one hand to elf's cheek and presses his fingertips against the fading scratch. A warm smile creeps onto his face when he sees the elf close his eyes in bliss._

_Without warning, he throws himself into the arms of the prince and smiles even wider than before. Legolas stiffens slightly before hesitantly wrapping his arms around the child, pulling him closer._

_Hope. That is exactly what Legolas needed._

_And that is exactly what he had in his arms right then._

"The end," Aragorn finishes, smiling at Legolas. It may be years later but they are still inseparable. Brothers.

Yes, brothers.

That seems to fit quite well.

**TBC**

**Yes I'm still alive and no I didn't disappear forever, just got out of the writing groove for awhile! Started a new school year, a new book, a new pencil, a new hair length, a new favorite color! Whoa I'm overwhelmed!**

**Hope you guys like it! So happy that you all still follow me through my lack of updates and new stories, i couldn't ask for a better set of readers, be it small or large! You guys rock!**

**Don't forget to drop a review! That white button is looking pretty sad and un-pressed as of late! You have to help him or I might not be able to write in fear of losing him to lack-of-pressing disease!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**See ya later, fellow fanfictioners!**

**-UnfathomableEnigma**

**UE**


End file.
